LOS ANGELES (AP) — A woman who has previously said Steven Tyler had an illicit sexual relationship with her when she was a teenager is now suing the Aerosmith frontman for sexual assault, sexual battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
The lawsuit brought by Julia Misley was filed Tuesday under a 2019 California law that gave adult victims of childhood sexual assault a three-year window to file lawsuits for decades-old instances of assault. Saturday is the deadline to file such claims.
The 65-year-old Misley, formerly known as Julia Holcomb, said in a statement that she wanted to seize "a new opportunity to take legal action against those that abused me in my youth." The Associated Press does not name victims of sexual assault unless they publicly identify themselves.
While the lawsuit doesn't name Tyler, Misley identified him by name in the statement, issued through the law firm Jeff Anderson & Associates. She has also recounted her experiences with Tyler in prior interviews, and Tyler discussed a relationship with a teenage girl in two books, published in 2011 and 1997. The acknowledgements section of his memoir "Does The Noise In My Head Bother You?" thanks a "Julia Halcomb," which Misley has said is a reference to her.
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Steven Tyler presents the award for song of the year at the iHeartRadio Music Awards on March 14, 2019, in Los Angeles.
The lawsuit alleges Tyler "used his role, status, and power as a well-known musician and rock star to gain access to, groom, manipulate, exploit, sexually assault," Misley over a period of three years. Some of the abuse occurred in Los Angeles County, the lawsuit said. As a result, she has suffered severe emotional injury as well as economic losses, the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit says that Misley met Tyler in 1973 at one of his shows in Portland, Oregon, and was later invited to Tyler's hotel room, where she said she told him she was 16 years old. Tyler would have been 25 or 26 at the time. It says he engaged in "various acts of criminal sexual conduct" against Misley.
He engaged in sexual acts with her following multiple other shows, and in 1974 he became her legal guardian so that she could travel to him with shows, the lawsuit alleged.
The lawsuit alleged that Misley became pregnant in 1975 as a result of having sex with Tyler, and that he later coerced her into having an abortion.
Tyler further harmed Misley by publishing memoirs that detailed parts of their relationship without her knowledge or consent, the lawsuit alleged. Doing so subjected Misley to public attention and scrutiny, which retraumatized her and made it harder for her to recover, the lawsuit said.
In Tyler's 2011 memoir, he mentions meeting an unnamed 16-year-old "girlfriend to be." He wrote that he almost "took a teen bride" and got her parents to sign over custody so he wouldn't get arrested when she went on tour with him out of state.
"By including Plaintiff's name in the acknowledgements, he left the readers and the public without any doubt of Plaintiff's identity," the lawsuit states, adding that she was confronted with a picture of her own face on a tabloid cover at a grocery store after the book's publication.
Tyler's relationship with a teenage girl is also referenced by several people in "Walk This Way," a 1997 "autobiography" of Aerosmith in oral history format. The teen is given the pseudonym "Diana Hall" and, at one point, is described as pregnant. Tyler said he was thinking about marrying her, referenced abortions, and called it a "tricky situation all around."
The lawsuit seeks monetary compensation of an unspecified amount.
Top songs of 2022: From 'Cuff It' by Beyoncé to Taylor Swift's 'Anti-Hero'
Best songs of the year
From left: Steve Lacy, Beyoncé and Harry Styles.
A pair of Beyoncé songs — "Cuff It" and "Break My Soul"— along with undeniable hits "Bad Habit" from Steve Lacy and "As It Was" by Harry Styles are among the The Associated Press' selection of top songs of 2022. Lizzo delighted fans all year with the infectious "About Damn Time," while Taylor Swift was the year's "Anti-Hero." This year was full of great collabs including "Die Hard" by Kendrick Lamar featuring Blxst and Amanda Reifer, "Unholy" by Sam Smith and Kim Petras and "Spitting Off the Edge of the World" by Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Perfume Genius. The off-kilter "Part of the Band" by The 1975 doesn't fit in any genre, but found a spot in the roster.
Here are 10 of the best songs of the year, as selected by Associated Press entertainment journalists.
Steve Lacy, 'Bad Habit'
It took nearly three months, but Steve Lacy's "Bad Habit" topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart and has continued to thrive. The multi-genre song, a single from his album "Gemini Rights," became the first record to ever top the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop, Hot R&B, Hot Rock and and Alternative songs chart simultaneously. It became popular over the summer after many on social media including celebrities Hailey Bieber and Charlie D'Amelio used the song while promoting their brands. With a funky bassline, Lacy shows some regret after missing an opportunity to approach a love interest. — Jonathan Landrum Jr.
Harry Styles, 'As It Was'
Harry Styles performs on NBC's "Today" show in New York on May 19, 2022.
Harry Styles was everywhere in 2022 pop culture, from his much-anticipated new album "Harry's House" to his massive tour and most notably being in the middle of the behind-the-scenes chaos surrounding the film "Don't Worry Darling." Styles could take some advice from the lyrics to his chart-topper "As It Was," a bittersweet and brightly packaged bop: "Nothing to say/when everything gets in the way." The song is deceptively upbeat with a jingly synth-pop beat and a little kid's voice as the intro and wedding bells at the end. But the lyrics are self-referentially melancholic as he accepts the reality of change that even he is not quite ready for. Thank you to the year's leading man for giving everyone a lot to talk and sing about. — Kristin M. Hall
Beyoncé, 'Cuff It'
If you scroll through social media, you won't have to wait long before you see viral videos of groups from young to old performing choreographed routines to Beyoncé's "Cuff It." The feel good, dance track captures the spirit of fun, romance and infatuation all in nearly four minutes of music, and while that's longer than most radio hits these days, the song leaves you wishing Queen Bey would've extended the track even more. If you feel like falling in love or need a flirty boost, keep this track on repeat. — Gary Gerard Hamilton
Taylor Swift, 'Anti-Hero'
Taylor Swift poses at the American Music Awards on Nov. 20, 2022, at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.
Self-loathing never sounded so good as on Taylor Swift's "Anti-Hero," which went to the top of the Billboard singles chart for weeks and only relented its grasp under pressure from a bubbly Mariah Carey before Christmas. It is peak Swift: Confessional to the point of self-horror, depressing in its inevitable tears. "I'm the problem," she sings. "It's me." The rest of the lyrics are dense and pregnant with meaning — there's a scene with a will reading? Who is a sexy baby? Is she really a monster on the hill? — all driven by a moody, propulsive electro beat. "This song really is a real guided tour throughout all the things I tend to hate about myself," she has written about it. And yet it is something to adore. — Mark Kennedy
Kendrick Lamar, 'Die Hard' featuring Blxst and Amanda Reifer
Kendrick Lamar performs at the Glastonbury Festival in England on June 26, 2022.
Kendrick Lamar has several standout tracks off his Grammy-nominated album "Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers." But one of the most vibrantly enjoyable songs from his masterful project is "Die Hard" featuring singer-rapper Blxst and Barbadian singer Amanda Reifer. The three music artists collectively blend their voices on the hit song — which delves into trust and battling demons. Lamar raps about overcoming his insecurities in hopes of becoming better for a future relationship. — Jonathan Landrum Jr.
Lizzo, 'About Damn Time'
Lizzo performs in Atlanta on Oct. 22, 2022.
She's got the moves, she's got the grooves and she's used them to great effect on unsuspecting ears and minds as they were emerging from a literal and mental winter. Lizzo's infectious bop "About Damn Time" hit the indoor-dazed populace right in the solar plexus and shattered the dancefloors. Between lyrics like "Is everybody back up in the buildin'? It's been a minute, tell me how you're healin'" and "I'm way too fine to be this stressed, yeah/ Oh, I'm not the girl I was or used to be/ Uh,…, I might be better" and her up-tempo flute, Lizzo says it's OK to claw back a little happiness after our collective trauma with the help of some pop music. — Cristina Jaleru
The 1975, 'Part of the Band'
Matthew Healy of The 1975 performs at the Reading Music Festival in England on Aug. 28, 2022.
"Part of the Band" is the off-kilter jewel in The 1975's excellent album "Being Funny In A Foreign Language." It refuses to follow a tempo pattern as it caroms from cellos to lounge ballad to sax solo, with dense, funny lyrics. "Am I ironically woke? The butt of my joke? Or am I just some post-coke, average, skinny bloke calling his ego imagination?" frontman and lyricist Matty Healy sings. It is a song that makes you stop and listen. "So many cringes in the heroin binges/I was coming off the hinges, living on the fringes," go the lyrics. — Mark Kennedy
Sam Smith and Kim Petras, 'Unholy'
Kim Petras, left, and Sam Smith perform in concert on Dec. 12, 2022, in Philadelphia.
If there was one good song to start the cold season, it's the sensuous, risqué "Unholy" – leaning on Sam Smith's translucent vocals and Kim Petras' petulant energy. The club anthem that slinks up on you with its throbbing bass wrapped in Eastern influences kicks off right out the gate with a heavenly choir. The electro-hook is set to catch, stun and haunt. A startling departure from Smith's weepy ballads, this slow but electrifying tune got its general stripes first on TikTok with the singers' dance challenge and the admiral ones on the airwaves and the dancefloor. One of the most well-matched collaborations of the year, "Unholy" has been certified Platinum with the speed of saying a "Hail Mary." — Cristina Jaleru
Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Perfume Genius, Spitting Off the Edge of the World
Karen O of the band Yeah Yeah Yeahs performs during the Corona Capital music festival in Mexico City on Nov. 19, 2022.
Post-punk rockers Yeah Yeah Yeahs returned with a new album this year, their first since 2013, and the opening dark synths of their first single "Spitting Off the Edge of the World" delivered the kind of fist-pumping energy that Karen O and company are known for. Karen O's distinctive vocals on the opening line, "Cowards, here's the sun, so bow your heads," are aptly matched with Perfume Genius' delicate and glamorous voice. The song peaks with the banging drums in the chorus inviting a defiance on the precipice of chaos. It's a great return to form for a band that has always pushed the boundaries. — Kristin M. Hall
Beyoncé, 'Break My Soul'
It would be easy — and possibly understandable — to only include one Beyoncé song on our list. But why punish the Queen for creating phenomenal music? "Break My Soul" was her majesty's royal anthem welcoming her back to her rightful place on the throne after a six-year-hiatus between albums. The house track spanned genres, dominating airplay on R&B, pop and dance formats. Reaching No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart, the song delivered a variety of DJ versions and remixes, including the "The Queens Remix" with Madonna. "Break My Soul" also reached No. 1 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, and along with "Cuff It," marked the first time since 2003 that the icon had multiple No. 1s on the chart in the same year. — Gary Gerard Hamilton
